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Sunday, May 9, 2010

Hot-Pepper Jelly

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I have, all my life, had the good fortune to find myself in the company of warm and generous women. Today, my thoughts embrace them all in a haze that glows more golden as it's burnished by time. That made selecting a recipe to honor them really difficult. I finally decided that "their" recipe had to be one that could be described using adjectives that would describe their personalities as well. Crazy as it seems, Jalapeno peppers came to mind. I placed hot and spicy on my list of adjectives. Sweet and tart were added when I realized that sugar and a little vinegar could be used to make a jelly that would be interesting and have an element of surprise. Properly made, I knew the jelly would be intriguing and memorable. I also wanted the finished product to shine as brightly as their spirits, so it had to have an amber or golden glow. I knew a jelly such as this would be the choice of intelligent and adventurous spirits, so I settled on the recipe below. If you know anyone who is hot and spicy, sweet and tart, interesting and surprising, intriguing and memorable, intelligent and adventurous and has a spirit that can light a darkened room, you might want to give this recipe a try and share it with them. Hot-Pepper Jelly...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Directions:1) Combine jalapeno chiles, onions, celery seed and 1/4 cup vinegar in the bowl of a food processor. Process until finely chopped. Transfer to a large heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add remaining 1/2 cup vinegar and sugar. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in pectin. Return to medium-high heat and boil for 1 minute longer. Remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes, skimming off any foam or scum that accumulates.2) Carefully ladle the hot jelly into hot sterilized jars to within 1/4-inch of tops. Wipe rims clean, top with lids and seal tightly with screw bands. Invert jars on a kitchen towel to cool. Invert jars occasionally as jelly cools. Store in a cool dark place for up to 6 months. Yield: 3 (1/2-pint) jars.

I have never seen or heard of pepper jelly before but this is a must. My husband and I both love chillies. I just need to go out and by the peppers (Not easily found in France!) I have seeds ready to plant but.... I have all the other ingredients. Thanks so much for this one. Diane

Whenever I'm at a fair or a craft market I look for pepper jelly. Is there anything better on a crispy cracker, with a little cream cheese? I've never tried to make it myself, but now that I have a recipe.........

Oh my goodness! Mary, you really hit the spot with this one! I haven't made Hot-pepper Jelly in years and I miss it so! I so enjoyed your description of the ladies who would enjoy it!Just a thought...I used to serve this as a 'quickie' appetizer by letting it warm to room temp and spooning it over a block of cream cheese. Yummy with pita squares or crackers!!Thanks for the recipe...have a wonderful Mother's Day!Susan

O, I am going to make this ...it sounds delicious.Besides all that, I, too, were surrounded with these types women..and I loved 'em all with a passion! They are all gone now..but I have YOUNGER versions coming along and they would LOVE this jelly! :)Wishing you the happiest Mother's Day, Mary.xo bj

I like to make pepper jelly too - it's a great last minute hors d'oeuvre with some goat cheese and crackers. I chop up some sweet red peppers and throw that i with the jalapenos too - makes for a pretty colored jelly.

I have, all my life, had the good fortune to find myself in the company of warm and generous women. Today, my thoughts embrace them all in a haze that glows more golden as it's burnished by time....I lovre Mary and have quoted you on MTBT. Have a wonderful Mother's Day!

Wow! I've had sweet chili jelly, and loved it, so I'm very glad that you shared the technique for jalapeno jelly with us! I never know what to do with leftover jalapeno peppers (I can only pickle so many). Happy mother's day to you!

How perfect. I love hot pepper jelly. One of the 10 lovely women in my department gave this to me as a Christmas gift in my early teaching years and I've been hooked since. After getting my mom and sisters hooked, we're been on the quest for the perfect hot pepper jelly. I'll definitely have to give this a try!

I made this recipe last night. It didn't set. At all. It's like a thick syrup in the jars. Did it take you longer than 24 hours to get it it set? I know some recipes require up to 2 weeks. Can you give me any insight? Should I wait, or re-process the jam with more pectin? Thanks.

Graham, I've never had any problem with pepper jelly. I use Certo liquid pectin. I also do not move the jars once they begin to set. It is possible, using the same batch to give it a second try - reboil the mix with 20 percent more pectin added. Sometimes inadequate cooking time is the problem. In either case, testing a small amount on a cold saucer towards the end of cooking time is helpful. If it does not wrinkle when pushed with a finger or tilted, it isn't ready and won't set. Hope this works for you.

Thank You Mary. I've never had a problem with other jams setting. Just this recipe. I'm going to try to re-process it. The one thing i did, that the recipe didn't call for, was actually canning it in a water boiler for 10 minutes. but I don't think that should affect it.

Thank you for the pepper jelly recipe! I was curious about the fact that it called for 2 pouches of pectin. I make a lot of jam with a lot of fruit that only calls for one pouch. Curious about why this calls for 2?

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